Featuring upscale, authentic Italian dishes, white glove service, and a setting that includes Grottesco-style painted ceilings and live piano during most meals, Il Capriccio Ristorante in Whippany, New Jersey has been a local, fine-dining favorite for more than 35 years.

On any given evening at Il Capriccio, second generation owner and executive chef Natale Grande warmly greets his patrons with a smile and handshake, calling them by name as he stops at the tables, just as his father did – and sometimes still does – so that every guest feels like family.

Challenge

Naturally then, when an enterprising Natale started looking at ways to expand the business, he was struck by the idea of offering some of his family’s recipes in settings outside of the flagship restaurant. When his mother asked him what dishes he thought would be popular to sell at retail or online, Natale answered with one of his own childhood favorites: the meatballs.

Handed down by generations and perfected in his kitchens at the restaurant and at home, the recipe he knew by heart. The challenge became how to package meatballs in sauce so that in addition to tasting like they were fresh off of the stove, they were easy to ship, store, and heat in a home kitchen.

Solution

After visiting a restaurant trade show and making an investment in some packaging equipment, his equipment supplier suggested Natale reach out to Sealed Air for help with package design and access to CRYOVAC^® brand materials.

New Business Development Manager Steve Daca and Account Manager Sherri Schall soon met with Natale one afternoon in the restaurant. They listened carefully to Natale’s vision for The Flying Meatballs. Steve and Sherri immediately started homing in on package performance needs like thermalization, durability, filling, transit, storage, and retail impact. Concepts Natale was aware of, but wasn’t sure how to address.

They offered Natale access to resources like Sealed Air’s creative and design teams and training courses at our Packforum so he could learn more about package thermalization. They visited The Flying Meatballs packaging plant to understand more about the floor layout and equipment Natale had purchased. Together they came up with a plan that allowed The Flying Meatballs to really start gaining momentum and with resources most small businesses simply
can’t afford at startup.

Over the past several years, The Flying Meatballs package has changed a few times, making modifications along the way to account for growing demand and a larger, more diverse supply chain. Current packaging features a sous-vide flexible pouch placed into a pre-made ovenable tray, all surrounded by a printed, recyclable paperboard sleeve, featuring the company’s iconic, fun logo: a meatball with wings.

"We wanted to make sure that every little detail had been looked at, and the folks over at Sealed Air through their experience and their guidance were able to really help us dial that in."

— Natale Grande; Chef, Owner and Founder, The Flying Meatballs

Results

Now available in five different flavors, The Flying Meatballs product line continues to grow, with distribution expanding from the family store to local specialty retailers, then to regional retailers and now to national grocery chains, several sell-out appearances on QVC, and their new online direct-to-consumer store.

Using the knowledge gained as part of the process, the company now has secured more new business and invested in more packaging equipment to serve as a co-packer for several well-known brands of hot dogs and gourmet ready-meals for one of the most prominent DTC meat brands in the U.S.